Two Different Worlds
by Lollipop456
Summary: AU, I suppose. Ella Perktree, in order to rescue her father's job at the Ministry of Magic, goes on her own search for the escaped Snatcher, Archibald Scabior. When she finds him, she gets more than she bargained for. WARNING: Possible Mary-Sue.
1. Chapter 1

Twenty-two-year-old Ella Perktree slept soundly in bed, when she was awaken by the sound of the front door closing. Quietly, she fumbled around in the dark for her wand and finally grabbed it from underneath her bed. She crawled out of bed and held her wand in front of her.

"Lumos." The tip of Ella's wand began to glow, giving Ella enough light to make her way out of the room and into the hallway.

Ella went to the top of the stairs, and saw her father, Edward Perktree, and her mother, Sarah Perktree, standing in the living room. She could tell, even from a good distance, that her father was upset by something. Ella, loved her parents dearly, which is why she had chosen to stay with them until she could afford to buy her own place. Working late hours at Honeydukes was simply not enough for a decent flat.

"Darling, what is it?" Mrs. Perktree asked.

"Have you not heard? Archibald Scabior has escaped from Azkaban, he is roaming the streets as we speak! Everyone in the Ministry, including myself, is being blamed for this catastrophe!" Mr. Perktree slammed his fist on a nearby table, startling Ella slightly.

"Why on Earth would the Ministry be blamed?"

Mr. Perktree sat in a chair and buried his face in his hand. "Oh darling, I don't know. We've been blamed for many escapes, from Black to Lestrange. I just can't help but think that Scabior could be it. This escape could ruin the Ministry."

"Edward, I will not have you talk like this." Mrs. Perktree kneeled in front of the chair. "Nothing shall happen to the Ministry. Now, are Aurors looking for him?"

Mr. Perktree nodded. "And Hit Wizards, as well."

"Then there is no cause for concern. Now, let's get you upstairs."

Mrs. Perktree helped Mr. Perktree to his feet, and Ella ran back to her room before she was noticed. She crawled into bed and closed her eyes, just as her parents walked by the room.

"Sarah, if the Ministry is ruined, then I don't know what I'll do. I will have no job." Mr. Perktree whispered.

"Don't think like that. Let's go to bed, and you'll feel better in the morning." Mrs. Perktree continued to lead her husband to their room.

"Don't worry, Dad. Nothing is going to happen. I promise." Ella closed her eyes to sleep, determined to start her own search for the escaped Snatcher in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Ella dressed herself and went downstairs to grab a cup-of-coffee. As she sat at the table to drink her coffee, she began to think about where Scabior could have gone. But she was no detective, and she certainly had no idea where a convict would hide. She saw a copy of The Daily Prophet laying on the table; her dog Rickety usually fetched the paper in the morning and then would retreat to his dog house in the yard.

As Ella began to read through the Daily Prophet, she saw an article about the escape of Scabior. As she continued to read, the writer continously claimed that he, or she, knew alot about Snatchers and, more important, the Scabior family. Thinking quickly, Ella tore the article out and stuffed it into her coat pocket.

Mr. Perktreee came downstairs and kissed Ella on the cheek. "Good morning, love." He gave out a loud yawn and sat at the table.

"Good morning, Dad. Are you feeling all right?"

Mr. Perktree gave a weak chuckle. "I feel fine, El. Just tired. I'm not as young as I used to be, and my job does take a lot of me. But it must be done. Have to take care of you and your Mum, 'yknow."

As Mr. Perktree reached for The Daily Prophet, Ella stood quickly and kissed her father on the cheek.

"Bye Dad." Ella ran for the door.

"What's your hurry, darling?" Mr. Perktree asked.

Ella shrugged. "Honeydukes will open soon. I promised Mr. and Mrs. Flume that I'd come early."

Ella wrapped her scarf around her neck and then stepped out of the house. She had never lied to her parents before, but she knew that if she told the truth that would not want her to search for Scabior, and Ella certainly did not want that to happen; she wanted to help her Dad in any way possible, and this was defintely the best way, in her opinion.

Ella removed the article from her pocket and started to walk to Diagon Alley. She did not live far from it thankfully, and was there in half an hour. As she passed by Honeydukes, she slipped her hood over her head and kept her eyes straight ahead. After awhile, she came to the Daily Prophet office and knocked on the front door. Her father's good friend, and editor of The Daily Prophet, Barnabas Cuffe was there to greet her.

"Why, Ella! I'm afraid you've got the wrong building, my dear. Honeydukes is-"

Ella raised her hand to stop Mr. Cuffe from speaking. "I'm not going to work today, Mr. Cuffe."

"Your not?" Mr. Cuffe folded his arms. "Then what precisely are you doing here, child?"

"This article," Ella held up the article to show to Mr. Cuffe. "was written by one of your reporters, A. Fenetre. Is he here?"

"Yes, _she _just arrived moments ago."

Ella blushed slightly. "May I speak to her?"

"For a moment. I've a paper to run." Mr. Cuffe pushed open the door, and Ella stepped inside the office.

"Avrill, could you come here, please?" Mr. Cuffe shouted.

At that moment, Avrill Fenetre rounded the corner, holding a stack of books in one arm and her wand in the other.

"Mr. Cuffe, could this please wait until later? I must research for my latest article on the laws of wand safety & proper use."

"Avrill Fenetre, may I introduce you to Ella Perktree."

Miss Fenetre's eyes widened in surprise. "Is this truly Ella?" She reached for Ella's hand and eagerly shook it. "A pleasure to meet you, dear. Mr. Cuffe and your father are rather good friends. Why, every time Mr. Perktree visits, he always seems to talk about you."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Fenetre. But I've really come to ask you questions about this article you wrote on the escape of Archibald Scabior."

"Oh, certainly." Miss Fenetre sat the books on a nearby desk. "What do you need to know, Miss Perktree?"

Ella turned to Mr. Cuffe and then turned back to Miss Fenetre. "It's really a private matter."

"Of course. Mr. Cuffe, may we borrow your office?"

Mr. Cuffe smiled. "Anything for the daughter of an old friend."

Ella and Miss Fenetre went into Mr. Cuffe's office. As Miss Fenetre closed the door, Ella sat down nearvously.

"Could you lock the door, please? I don't want Mr. Cuffe to come in."

Miss Fenetre nodded and locked the door. She then took a seat across from Ella. "Now, what is this talk about my article?"

"Well, in the last paragraphs, " Ella pointed to the last two paragraphs in the article and Miss Fenetre slipped on her spectacles to read it. "you said that you've done research on the Scabior family."

Miss Fenetre finished reading the article, squared her shoulders, and smiled proudly. "Indeed I have, my dear."

"Do you know about Archibald's parents? Does he have any relatives that are alive?"

"No, his parents were killed during his attendance at Hogwarts. As for relatives, his Grandmother is alive. Practically has lost all her marbles, I fear. She never was able to recover after Lucinda's death."

"Lucinda?" Ella repeated.

"Oh, that was the name of Archibald's mother. Poor woman, she loved her daughter dearly."

"Do you know where Archibald's grandmother is?"

Miss Fenetre arched her eyebrow and leaned forward. "Ella, why exactly are you asking these questions?"

Ella sighed. "If I told you, then you must promise to not tell Mr. Cuffe."

"Very well."

Ella took a deep breathe and exhaled. "I'm going to search for Scabior. Alone."

Miss Fenetre gasped. "Are you mad, child? Archibald Scabior is not only a Snatcher, but is determined to seek revenge on anyone who despised Voldemort. He'd even kill a child if they mentioned Dumbledore's name."

"Miss Fenetre, you don't understand; my dad could lose his job. Everyone knows how long he has worked for the Ministry. "

"I know well that your Father is highly respected at the Ministry, and I do know that his occupation is at stake. But that is still no reason to run off and get yourself killed from an escaped convict!"

"Please, Miss Fenetre. I have to do this, I can't let my Dad lose his job. It means so much to him, my Mum, even me. "

Miss Fenetre sighed and lowered her head. "Why haven't you told your parents?"

"Because they would stop me. They've always tried to protect me, and even if it meant helping Dad, they'd still want me to stop my search."

"This seems so wrong. If you were to die..."

"Miss Fenetre, I am going to find Scabior. With or without your help.

There was silence betwen the two women. Ella stood and headed towards the door to leave.

"Her name is Jane. Jane Scabior. She lives in Tinworth. It is in the world of Muggles, but wizards live there as well. You should have no trouble asking for her; she is, after all, the only witch there that has gone completely mad." Miss Fenetre explained.

Ella turned and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Fenetre." She then left the office, to go and find Scabior's grandmother. Her search had just begun.


	3. Chapter 3

Ella traveled to Tinworth; it was her first time in a Muggle village, and she was very excited. Nevertheless, she knew the most important thing was to find Jane Scabior and question her about her grandson. After wondering through the village, she found a group of witches who pointed her in the direction of the old woman's home.

It was a small house, and extremely run-down. As Ella approached the front door, a rat scurried across her feet, startling her slightly. After the fright wore off, Ella knocked on the front door, but got no answer.

"Mrs. Scabior?" Ella called out. There was still no answer.

Ella knocked on the door a few more times, but there was still no reply. Perhaps, Mrs. Scabior was asleep and couldn't hear Ella at the door. Or maybe she was injured. Or worse. There was only one way to find out. Reluctantly, she opened the door and stepped into the dark house.

As Ella made her way through the house, she saw that there was hundreds of papers on the floor. Ella picked up one of the papers, and saw that it was a sketch of a beautiful, young woman. She picked up another, and realized it was an identical sketch. Infact, all of the papers on the floor were the same sketches of the same woman.

Even though this did come off as a bit eerie, Ella continued to search the home. As she made her way down a hall, she began to hear the sound of humming and followed it to the end of the hall.

She opened a door, and realized that she was in a child's room. At first, everything seemed normal: there was toys of all sorts on the floor, a bed with a teddy bear propped on one of the pillows, and a dresser that was cluttered with hair brushes & hair pins. But, in the corner of the room, was a woman with long, tangled grey hair and a pale, wrinkled face. She was rocking back and forth, humming to herself & drawing a picture on the wall. This picture was of the same woman that Ella saw in the sketches.

"Are you Jane Scabior?" Ella began to approach the elderly woman. "My name is Ella Perktree. I've not come to hurt you, I just want to ask you about your grandson, Archibald."

Mrs. Scabior looked up at Ella. "Archie? Lucinda's little boy?"

Ella nodded. "Yes."

Mrs. Scabior stood, and her legs begin to shake. Ella helped her over to the bed, and then sat next to her.

"Mrs. Scabior, I really need you to try and concentrate. Now, does Archibald have any friends?"

"No. No friends. Not since they died. He wasn't the same after that."

"You mean his parents?" Ella asked.

"Yes. Willy and Lucinda...My little Lucinda. This is her room, you know. She was my only child. She was everything I wanted. A bright witch, she was. That's her picture that I was drawing."

Ella sighed. "Mrs. Scabior, please try to listen to me. Now, Archibald has escaped from Azkaban, and I need to know if he's come here, or if he has told you anything about where he has gone?"

"He's not been here. He wouldn't come here with me. He was so spoiled when he was a boy. I'd not give him what he wants. I'd turn him in if he came here. I hate him so. After Lucinda died, he left the school and dissappeared into the dark. Into the forest."

"The Forest? That's where he hid after his parents died?"

Mrs. Scabior turned to Ella and smiled. "You look like Lucinda. Her hair was nearly the same color." She began to run her fingers through Ella's hair. "She had the same eyes, the same cheeks."

Ella stood. "Thank you for your help, Mrs. Scabior. But I have to go. My parents are probably wondering where I am."

"Parents? Y-You don't need your parents. I could be your Mum. I really could."

Ella hurried out of the room, and tried her best to ignore Mrs. Scabior's screaming out for her dead daughter. Once she was safely outside the house, Ella kept running until she found a tree where she could rest. Although, she felt bad for Mrs. Scabior, her sympathy was outweighed by dissapointment. She had not learned much from the mad woman. All she had now was one clue: The Forest. For the first time in five years, Ella would once again be at Hogwarts and in the forest that she had feared during her schooldays.


End file.
